Cylinder construction



DeC- 15,1936. H. E. MUcHlc 2,064,124

CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 24, v1934 2 sheets-sheet 1 Dern 15, 1936. H. E. MUCHNIC CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 424, i954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T O my J h gufo Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION Application January 24, 1934, serial No. 708,080

7 Claims.

My invention relates to a locomotive cylinder structure preferably cast in a single piece and of such construction as to eliminate the serious objections resulting from unequal expansion encountered -by different portions of the unit.

It has been found extremely dilicult and less practical to cast the steam passages entirely free or dissociated from the walls of the main casting, as the steam passages or conduits, in order to be entirely separate from the front and rear vertical walls of the main casting, would have to be given a curvature which would necessitate adding to the length of the steam chests beyond the limiting restrictions or dimensions of a locomotive cylinder.

It was also found that in casting the steam conduits entirely free of the main `casting and remain within the limiting dimensions prescribed it would impose restrictive curves in the steam passages.

My present invention is designedto overcome these difficulties and at the same time it solves the diiculty encountered by the alternate expansion and contraction of steam passages cast integral with the front and the back walls and does so in a more practical and economical way than in the structure heretofore designed and as disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 553,276; the structure providing steam passages independent, generally, of the walls of the cast- 30 ing, which are free to expand without affecting or straining the walls of the cylinder casting.

My invention also involves a construction wherein the cylinder portions are more securely and rigidly attached to the main structure by means of a grid arrangement o-f ribs or webs, thus alfording a structure which will be free of the serious difficulties heretofore encountered in cylinder constructions which have resulted in failures where the cylinder proper joins or attaches to the main structure, due to the fact that the alternate stresses in the cylinders, when the locomotive is in operation, are concentrated at the frame iit. In my improved cylinder construction this part of the structure has been greatly strength` ened without the addition of material or undue weight.

The various objects and advantages of my invention will all be readily comprehended from the 50 following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a partial plan and longitudinal sectional view of one side or half of a locomotive cylinder construction involving my invention.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 as viewed by the arrows and illustrating a part of my in-y vention.

Figure 3 is a partial elevation and vertical section with a portion of one cylinder broken away; the'section being taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

My invention relates to a steam locomotivecylinder construction preferably of cast steel wherein the exhaust steam passages or conduits throughout the major portions are independent of the walls of the casting; portions, however, having web connections with the outer Wall portions of the casting. That is to say, the improved cylinder construction as exemplified in the drawings, discloses the exhaust conduits, preferably at the tops and bottoms connected with the outer walls of the main casting thus givingthe partially connected conduits the freedom desired to compensate for differences in degrees of expansion and contraction and thus obviating the difficulties encountered wherein the steam passages constituted a structural wall of the casting proper; while at the same time eliminating the difficulties encountered in the casting of a structure wherein the exhaust steam passages were entirely dissociated from the outer walls of the structure.

The embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the drawings, involves the valve chambers I0, I0 at opposite ends or sides of the structure, and the cylinders I I, I I provided with the usual steam passages or ports between the respective valve chambers and cylinders but not shown; the chambers and cylinders being integrally united in a single casting.

The casting is of more or less skeleton formation; the oppositely located valve chambers and cylinders being united by means of a top wall I 2, a bottom wall I3 and the iront and rear walls I4.an d I5. The top, bottom, front and rear walls are reenforced and united by the vertically disposed Webs I6, I6.

The top wall merges into the saddle portion I1 whereby the casting is secured to the boiler shell of a locomotive by means of bolts.

The front and rear walls I4 and I5 at opposite ends and intermediate of the valve chambers I0 and the adjacent vertically disposed Webs are each provided with the openings I8; while the Vertical webs I6 are each provided with an enlarged opening I9. These openings are provided for the passage of the exhaust steam conduits 20, 20, which lead from and are formed integral with opposite ends of the two valve chambers or steam chests I0, ID. These conduits extend substantially parallel with the front and rear walls, respectively, of the casting until they reach the openings I8, curving inwardly through these openings I8, then curving toward the webs I6 and passing through the openings I9 therein; the two exhaust conduits 20 from opposite ends of the chamber then uniting in an upwardly disposed discharge end 2|, which extends through an opening in the saddle portion' I 'I of the casting.

The discharge ends 2|, 2| of the conduits leading from the two valve chambers are shown formed integral with a transversely disposed web 22 formed integral with the front and rear walls of the casting. The united discharge ends 2|, 2| are shown provided with an exhaust nozzle receiving flange 23.

The upwardly disposed ends 21| of the two pair of conduits are reenforced by the vertical pedestal portion or skeleton wall 24.

Heretofore, locomotive cylinders have been made of cast steel but involved serious problems because of the increased linear expansion of cast steel over cast iron and the frequent cracking and breaking of the casting, resulting from the fact that the exhaust steam passages constituted a structural portion of the casting proper.

In order to overcome this difculty it has been proposed to entirely dissociate the exhaust steam passages or conduits from the walls of the casting, as for example in the manner disclosed in my application Serial No, 553,276. It was, however, found to be practically impossible to cast a locomotive cylinder structure with the exhaust steam conduits entirely dissociated or completely free Vfrom the front and rear walls of the main structure without providing the exhaust passages or conduits with restrictive curves.

My invention, as disclosed in the drawings, contemplates a cylinder construction or casting wherein the exhaust passages or conduits 20 have a partial or web connection with the outer walls of the casting as shown for example at 25.

The Web connections are merely made with the tops and bottoms of the exhaust conduits, thus leaving the vertical sides of the conduits or passages entirely free or disconnected from the outer casting. This permits the exhaust passages to keep within the limiting dimensions of a locomotive cylinder, without imposing restrictive curves in the exhaust passages; while at the same time incorporating all the advantages of an entirely dissociated steam conduit and solving, in a more practical and economical manner, the diiiiculties encountered by the alternate expansion and contraction of steam passages cast integral with the front and rear walls of the main casting. As is apparent from the drawings, the large vertical side walls of the exhaust passages 2D are entirely free, while the web connections 25, 25 extend in an indirect or somewhat curved manner between the front and rear walls I4 and l5 and the upper and lower comparatively narrow walls of the exhaust conduits and preferably to one side of the vertical median line of the conduits, as more clearly shown in Figure 2, thus compensating for differences in expansion and contraction between the conduits and the walls of the main structure or casting. It was found necessary in practice to provide some sort of support for the exhaust passages which at the same time would be of a yielding nature and would not transmit the strains and stresses to the front and back walls of the casting. It is advisable, therefore, to provide this connection or tie at the upper and lower narrow walls of the exhaust passages (where, in practice, it has been found difficult to maintain a core sand wall), namely an ogee or indirect tie, as for example shown at 25, which will flex or yield indirectly or laterally without transmitting the expanding and contracting movements of the exhaust conduits to the rest of the casting which is not subject to the expansion and contraction; it being apparent from the off-set or indirect tie construction shown in Figure 2 that the webs will permit and absorb the expanding and contracting movements of theexhaust passages.

My invention also provides a structure wherein the cylinder portions are more securely tied together and a better attachment to the main structure provided without adding any difculties in the casting thereof.

This new method or design of attaching the cylinder portions to the main body of the structure consists of a grid construction of interlocking or connected ribs, as shown at 26 extending lengthwise of the casting, from one cylinder Il to the other cylinder and integrally connected at the ends therewith; this rib in turn being formed integral with the vertical inner walls IE; the ribs being formed with openings therethrough as shown at 2'1, see Figure 3. This rib 26 is disposed in vertically spaced relation with the bottom wall I3, to which the rib 26 is connected by means of a series of laterally spaced vertically disposed ribs 28, and by the inner walls I6; the rib 26 in turn having the pedestal portion 24 secured thereto which in turn is tied to or integral with the discharge ends 2| of the oppositely disposed conduits.

As is apparent, this grid formation of ribs provides a rm, rigid tie between the upper portions of the two cylinders Il, II, namely at a distance above the lower wall I3 which is also integral with the sides of the cylinders; while the lower portions of the cylinders are braced and tied to the bottom Wall by means of the angular webs 29, 29; these interconnected ribs providing a truss formation between the cylinders.

The exemplication of the invention is believed to be the best embodiment thereof, and the terms herein have been employed merely as terms of description and not as terms of limitation as structural modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:-

1. A cylinder structure comprising a single piece skeleton casting formed to provide front and rear Walls, a valve chamber and a cylinder at opposite ends of the casting, the cylinders being integrally united by a grid of interlocking ribs; the front and rear walls having enlarged openings; and exhaust steam conduits integrally connected to op-posite ends of each Valve chamber and disposed through said openings and uniting within the structure, said conduits at their sides being free of the casting and having an integral laterally expansible web connection both at top and bottom with the outer walls of the structure.

the bottoms of the conduits and the front and rear walls arranged to permit independent expansion and contraction of the conduits, said web connections being the only connections between said conduits and the front and rear walls.

3. A cylinder construction comprising a skeleton casting formed to provide an integral valve chamber, a cylinder, and exhaust steam conduits at opposite ends of the valve chambers, the front and rear walls of the casting having openings through which the exhaust conduits extend so as to be disposed within the structure, the conduits being connected at the tops and bottoms, at one side of the vertical median line, to said walls of the casting by oi-set webs whereby independent expansion and contraction of the conduits relative to the front and rear walls of the casting is permitted.

4. A cylinder construction comprising a skeleton casting formed to provide an integral valve chamber, a cylinder, and exhaust steam conduits at opposite ends of the valve chamber, the front and rear walls of the casting having openings through which the exhaust conduits extend to be disposed within the structure and without contacting said front and rear walls except at the top and bottom of the conduits by means of laterally expansible web connections which permit independent expansion and contraction of the conduits relative to the front and rear Walls of the casting.

5. A cylinder construction comprising a skeleton casting formed to provide an integral valve chamber; a cylinder; front and rear walls produits at opposite ends of the valve chamber and of smaller dimensions than the dimensions of said openings to permit the conduits to extend through said openings and have independent expansion and contraction; and web connections diametrically spaced apart between the conduits and the front and rear walls for supporting the conduits in place.

6. A cylinder construction comprising a skeleton casting formed to provide an integral valve chamber, a cylinder and front and rear walls, the front and rear walls adjacent the ends of the valve chamber being provided with enlarged so as to be substantially free of the walls about l the openings, and expansible connections between each conduit and the respective wall of the cylinder casting, through which the conduit extends, and arranged to permit independent expansion and contraction of said conduits relative to said front and rear walls, said connections being spaced apart and being the only connections between the conduits and the front and rear walls of the casting.

HENRY E. MUCHNIC. 

